kung fu panda 3: rise of the panther
by yazzii
Summary: Po and the furious five are on the move...again. do they have what it takes to stop the panther cheng? tigress runs in to a relative who's powers are greater than her own, can she be trusted? A STORY OF DRAMA, SUSPENSE AND ACTION! mild PxT. READ & REVIEW.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

(7:00am)

"Good morning master!" the furious five answered to the sound of the gong, they stood dutifully out side their rooms. Po was unusually on time this morning and was looking annoyingly pleased with himself.

Shifu sighed, the way he usually did when there was bad news, he then glanced at his students with a troubled look on his face. "I have received a letter from master Ching-lee; it would seem that they are in trouble, serious trouble." He said skimming the beginning of the letter.

The furious five exchanged uneasy glances with one another. Letters were never good, ever. How often does a letter come to kung fu masters to say that things are going smoothly? Tigress frowned and looked at her master seeking a facial expression that she could intercept.

"No way!" Po yelled, excitedly, breaking the tension that had formed in the hallway. "You mean _the _master Ching-lee? That's awesome! Not about him being in danger and what not..." he added quickly rubbing the back of his neck; embarrassed. Tigress shook her head as if watching a child in a tantrum.

"Panda." Shifu said in a very bemused tone, making the panda be quiet. "A panther named cheng is destroying their villages. Building an army to take over china. He is causing devastating chaos as we speak…" master Shifu's eyes widened and he almost choked as he read the rest of the letter.

"What is it master?" tigress asked in a very concerned voice. She rushed over to his side and was ready to catch him if he did fall. The rest of the furious five followed suit, as did Po.

"Tigress. Read this out." He ordered, still holding down the fury and sorrow within him but barely.

The tiger master took the paper and cleared her throat. "Greetings old friend. Unfortunately this letter was written in desperation. You may not have yet heard of the chaos and destruction that is being dealt across china, as far as I know your area has not yet been invaded. A panther by the name of 'cheng' is the person responsible for these devastation's and also for my death which is soon to come." Tigress growled and tensed her entire body. "He is creating an army that is larger than we ever thought possible, and seeks to make it more powerful than any other. Therefore I feel it is my duty to inform you that he intends to recruit your students. And asked for 3 especially" Tigress' claws penetrated the thin paper as she read out the rest. "Tigress, the dragon warrior and Rukian. Shifu, stop this monster before it is too late. Sincerely Ching-lee." Tigress was shaking with fury, fangs bared involuntarily and her claws flexed in a way that made everyone want to take a step back; Po did.

She would die before she joined a murderer and betrayed her master. And by the looks of things, everyone else felt the same way. But as usual the over confident panda broke the silence.

"Hold on a sec, who's Rukian?" he asked in a puzzled tone. The furious five looked at each other, then expectantly at Shifu, also wondering the same thing.

"I do not know panda but I intend to find out. If this 'cheng' did ask for her in particular then she also is in danger." Master Shifu answered, where had he heard that name before, it sounded surprisingly familiar, perhaps they had crossed paths? He glanced at his students who all had the same defiant and loyal look on their faces. Tigress' also had a mixture of anger on hers. "I want all of you to pack your bags. We leave for Chang Hai at noon." He ordered.

"Aww, c'mon! We just got back from busting that annoying peacock!"

Tigress answered before master Shifu could, her voice promising violence if he pushed the matter further. "Get used to it _dragon warrior, _this is exactly the reason I don't bother unpacking." Her voice was like rock; firm, bold and cool and her face mirrored it. Although her eyes flashed anger and impatience. It was well known that tigress had a short and fiery temper, although it was rarely seen, she had learnt to control it very well. But right now she was on the edge of self control. She stalked away before she lost it completely and headed for the training room, her tail swishing angrily and a barely audible growl escaping her lips.

The remaining students exchanged anxious glances, it would be a smart idea to steer clear of the training room for the time being, and then headed towards the kitchen for breakfast hastily.

"What's up with tigress? She totally lost it back there." Mantis murmured to everyone at the dinner table.

"I don't know but she took that letter really seriously, I hope she's ok." Viper said as she worried for her friend. "We can't help her if we don't know what's going on, unlikely that she will tell any of us; she's hardly the 'get it all out' type."

"Huh, yeah, the only person she has ever shown her soft side to is Po; that's what you expect from a couple of love birds." Monkey said as he fluttered his eyelashes. The whole table erupted with laughs apart from Po and viper.

"Ah c'mon guys, you know there's nothing going on with us." Po insisted

"Even so, she only ever talks to you about personal stuff Po. None of us have ever received a hug off her, like ever." Mantis concluded, pointing a chopstick at him. That's when viper got an idea.

"Po! You could talk to her and find out what's up!" the others nodded in agreement and looked at Po with excited faces.

**ok that was the first chapter and it was just an intro, it gets better later on ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

**first chapter was boring. ye i kno :S i swear the story gets better. be patient plz :D  
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CHAPTER 2

"Inner peace…inner peace…in-in-inner peace…" Shifu frowned, why couldn't he accomplish his peace of mind? He had been trying for almost 3hours with no avail. Instead of the beautiful meadow and stream he usually saw when meditating, he was cursed with disturbing visions that would flash before his eyes before he could figure out what to make of them. So far he had seen a cat-like figure very much like tigress and another very much like Tai Lung, he had heard a roar that could shatter windows and kept envisioning fast flashes of purple and gray. He couldn't make sense of any of it. Was it just his mind wandering through forgotten memories? Or was it a sign of some sort? Only time would tell.

He still couldn't remember anything about this 'Rukian' and it was plaguing his mind; the frustration of forgotten memories was driving him crazy! _Whoever she is, she is in a lot of trouble._

"HYAH!" tigress roared as she reduced a wooden warrior to shreds of wood that scattered the floor, the training room was in tatters. Her knuckles were dripping blood and her fur was tussled. Her harsh training on the iron wood trees outside the jade palace had shattered the nerve endings in her paws so badly she couldn't feel a thing. She growled, feeling no pain may benefit her in combat but it frustrated her. Pain that should have made her want to scream had no effect on her. Some would call it a gift. Some a curse. As she considered this she heard movement behind her that made her ear flick.

"Urm… tigress are you okay?"

The sound of Po's concerned voice made her turn to face him.

"I'm fine Po." Ever since she had shown her soft side on her last mission; fighting lord Shen, people had thought she and Po were an item. Viper wouldn't let up about it; confronting her as soon as they arrived back at the jade palace.

"_What was all that about tigress?" she asked incredulous. _It wasn't hard to tell that she had been itching to ask her about the hugs she and Po had exchanged.

"_Nothing viper, me and Po are only friends. It could never work. I'm a tiger and he is a panda. An annoying one too. You should know me better."_

"_I thought I did know you until that happened! It was totally out of character. You probably guessed that by the way we gaped at you…_both_ times."_

"_Viper. Po is a friend. I hugged him the first time because I know how it feels to want to know who your parents are. I'm the _adopted _daughter of master Shifu remember. Don't think I haven't wondered who they are, or why they gave me up. He seemed to think I didn't understand. He thought I had no emotions. I proved him wrong. And the second time I didn't really have any control over it, he hugged _me._" She had said hiding the sorrow from her face and voice well. _She didn't say it but she still did think about her family and who they were.

"_I'm sorry tigress but I still think there is more to it. If you don't think so, then I think he certainly does" _

"Tigress!" Po shouted so loud it could have made her ears bleed.

"What? Who?" tigress answered confused, ears ringing slightly. Coming back to reality, she saw Po was beside her and grinning widely.

Po laughed "You were in a trance or something. I was just trying to wake you up. Looks like my 'scream down her ear' strategy worked." He replied jokingly, punching her arm in a playful way. Then his face changed into a worried one, a little crease developing between his brows. "What's wrong with you tigress? Why did that letter freak you out so much?"

She glared at him, a look that could send the bravest man on earth cowering under the covers. "Things make me angry, even the smallest things." She said coolly.

"That doesn't answer my questions." Po replied.

"It really doesn't matter Po." She said in a voice that warned him not to push the subject. But of course, this being Po, he didn't take the hint.

"Yes it does matter! If it's making the most hard-core kung fu master in all of china upset then it's a big deal!" he said enthusiastically.

"If I tell you will you leave me alone?" she snarled, her voice as cold as ice.

"I promise!" he answered honestly. Tigress smirked sadly and sighed.

"Ok. This is the kind of thing I have been trying to avoid my whole life. I know master Shifu still worries that I will turn evil like 'Tia lung' this opportunity to join the 'bad side' will worry master. Sometimes I worry myself. What if he's seen a vision that shows me fighting you and the five? What if it comes true? What if it's my destiny? If so, then I am powerless to stop it." She blurted out. Her bitter-sweet smirk was almost heartbreaking. She refused to let her eyes meet his, refused to let him see the sadness in them.

Before she could order him to go away she was being crushed in a huge bear hug that lifted her off the ground, similar to the ones they had exchanged while away fighting lord shen, sweet and caring, it took her breath away; literally, she couldn't breathe. She was too shocked to push him away or tell him to get off.

"Ehem…" the voice came from behind them. Feeling her cheeks heat, she got a hold of herself and shoved herself away from the panda. Then met the greatly, amused eyes of the rest of the furious five, as well as the disturbed face of master Shifu he looked as if he had saw someone throw up.

"Master." She bowed and shot a warning look at the other four students who were openly grinning, she ground her teeth together.

"Master tigress, dragon warrior. I'm sorry to… interrupt." Master Shifu said, gritting his teeth. The furious 'four' were giggling uncontrollably now. "But we are leaving for Chang Hia now, get your bags."

"Yes master." She said respectfully. She growled at the laughing hyenas on her way out effectively shutting them up. Po trailed along behind her.

"sorry about that tigress" he mumbled nervously. She shot him a look that said 'don't talk to me' and stomped away angrily yet somehow gracefully, he watched her go.


	3. Chapter 3 STARTS TO GET INTERESTING

**THIS CHAPTER IS WHERE I THINK THE STORY STARTS TO ROLL... R&R :)**

Chapter 3

"Dude, what was that about?" monkey asked Po while they set up camp somewhere in south china. It had been a long, fast walk, non stop for eight hours, his bones were aching and he had almost passed out. They had battled their way through dessert and jungle, Po was constantly stripping on roots and even his own feet all the way. Everyone was relieved when master Shifu had said to make camp; Po had collapsed as soon as the words had left his mouth. Everyone had laughed, apart from tigress that hadn't forgiven him for hugging her earlier or even said a word to him on the journey there, they had set up camp in a clearing surrounded by thick forests.

"What was what about?" Po replied trying to act dumb. He did it well but the others weren't fooled by the act.

"You know what! The whole 'you and tigress caught in the act'." Mantis said obviously enjoying watching him go red. Po tried his best to compose himself, and failed miserably.

"Guys its nothing I swear. She was upset and worried about something, so I hugged her. And we aren't an item if that's what you're getting at, I don't even think she considers me a friend, never mind a 'boyfriend'. Look at her; she refuses to even look at me." Po said, flicking his head in her direction; she wasn't where he had last seen her, in fact she was no where in sight. He shrugged off the confusion.

All the guys started chanting 'Po and tigress sitting in a tree'. A furious growl cut them off. The turned to find tigress, baring her teeth, claws extended and her ears flat against her head, he should have seen this coming. It was the first time they had seen her looking like… an predator, a carnivore, a killer. Her eyes a terrible mixture of anger and humiliation, her snarl promising _a lot _of pain and _a lot _of suffering.

"You should listen to him. Another false word about me and the panda, blood will be spilled." The threat had them shaking with fear; she considered it a beautiful sight to behold. It took every ounce of her power to walk away reasonably calmly without killing at least one of them. The scary thing was that if master Shifu wasn't here, then she probably would have. Her anger was over whelming her. _Calm down tigress _she told herself. _Just chill out, go to sleep and keep away from them. _This was the best plan she had thought of so far, it was also the only one that didn't involve a blood bath, so she headed for her tent shaking with pure rage.

"Guys! Did you see what just happened, what you guys just made her do? Tigress was close to killing us! Guys I don't know about you but I need a new pair of pants! Do you understand now that there is nothing at all between us? And that there never will be?" Po demanded. His hands were still shaking and his heart beating dangerously fast.

"Po, she is one scary tiger. I'll believe whatever she wants me to." mantis said shakily. The rest of the guys agreed instantly, panting and eyes still wide.

"I've never seen her so angry before." Crane said shakily. "I heard 'stories' about her being really aggressive when she was young but I thought they were exaggerated, seems to me they were undermined. Master Shifu taught her how to control herself. She used to be known as 'the monster' in her orphanage, I can see why."

They all nodded in silent agreement and felt a twinge of pity for her when crane mentioned the orphanage. She was by far the least popular person there, no friends at all, she was neglected and feared by everyone in the whole village. Her destructive temper and uncontrollable strength had caused injuries to other orphans and she was widely known as 'the monster of Bao Gu orphanage'. Each time her excuse would have been 'I just wanted to play'. Tigress went into a trance like state when ever someone asked about her childhood or past, she often skipped the orphanage thing; said she lived with Shifu and left it at that.

"Guys. I don't think we should keep talking about her, she's a cat, remember, really good hearing. Subject change?" Po suggested. "How abou-"

He was cut off mid sentence by a ferocious roar.

Tigress was awakened by a roar that could be heard on the other side of china. She scrambled out of her bed (hammock) and raced to find the others in the dark night. Hoping it wasn't too late.

They were gathered together in the centre of their campsite, she sighed in relief. As she approached the others stared, she saw Po race towards her with evident worry on his face. _What's going on here? _She thought.

"Tigress! Are you okay? What happened?" the panda studied her thoroughly. As if expecting to see a wound.

"What are you talking about? I'm fine. Didn't you hear that roar?" tigress answered confused.

"That was you roaring weren't it? You're the only one here who, you know, does that." Po answered just as confused as tigress had been.

"No! I was asleep, the roar woke me up. Why would I-" her ear flicked. Master Shifu also heard the sound. She raised her finger to her lips and everyone didn't make a sound, didn't even breathe. They all strained their ears, desperate to hear what the tiger master had.

She saw a black hooded figure jump out of the bushes to the left. He was roaring a battle cry and baring his teeth, the moon gleamed eerily off his fangs, adding effect. Tigress followed her instincts, jumped into the air and kicked the intruder in the chest as he was about to land; he was caught off guard and let out a pained cry. He fell to the ground and landed with a grunt. She landed next to him in her battle stance. It had been roughly 5 seconds and the intruder, who she assumed was an assassin, hadn't gotten up. A trap maybe? Perhaps. She walked over to the cloaked lump on the floor with deliberate care and tore off hood that kept his face hidden with one paw on his throat. To her surprise this 'he' was in actual fact a 'she'. The newcomer jerked away from tigress' touch by jumping 10feet away from her landing unsteadily on her feet. A feline hiss escaped her lips as she landed. Tigress gasped as she finally took in the sight before her.

She was a tiger. Similar to tigress in the ways of height, weight and features. They could have passed for twins if not for this tiger's peculiar grey fur which still had the traditional tiger stripes, she had bright purple eyes that screamed a warning 'do not come closer!', they shone brightly despite the dark. The two tigers even dressed similarly. Her pants were the same as tigress' but she wore no shoes, her vest was black silk, with a yin and yang sign on the back, it was opened casually revealing blood soaked fur on her stomach. The grey tigress assessed her too. Her eyes narrowed slightly, her footing wavered.

"Typical." the stranger mumbled and she collapsed. A pool of blood slowly forming around her, she didn't move and seemed dead. All tigress could do was stare; she felt unexplained sorrow seeing this stranger like that. She didn't like it.

"Whoa. Tigress she looks just like you!" Po exclaimed.

The moment master Shifu saw her face everything made sense. Like that feeling you get when you finally fit the pieces of the puzzle together. He knew immediately that this feline was Rukian.

He had been trying to remember how he knew Rukian's name, when the visions of tigress and Tai lung had appeared; the tiger and the snow leopard. Rukian had all the features of a tiger but her fur was grey. She was a mixed breed. But why a vision of tigress and Tai lung? And why did tigress and Rukian look so alike?

He was missing a vital piece of the puzzle.


	4. Chapter 4

**this chapter is basically about Rukian and what happened, first impressions etc r & r ;)  
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Chapter 4

"Aagh…" she groaned as she tried opened her eyes, but they stubbornly refused; after a while of struggling they opened a tiny bit. She felt numb and groggy. _Was this what death was?_ She thought. _Not as great as everyone says it is nor peaceful. I can still feel pain, maybe I'm in hell? _She desperately hoped not. Eternity of this numb yet painful feeling was more than she could bare.

"Look, she's waking up!" said and excited and unfamiliar voice. _I guess I somehow survived then. I was sure that tiger would finish me off; if looks could kill she was a murderer…_

"About time. She's been out for around 17 hours." This voice didn't sound too pleased. _Huh, I'm not even awake and already I have a hater. _She tried to speak.

"Ouch! Where am I? If you guys have captured me again then I don't want those drugs you gave me last time. Couldn't feel anything, I could barely think straight. You know how frustrating that is? One second thought if your going to get out your 'tools of torture' go ahead and drug me." she slurred out. Her vision was slowly becoming clearer; she saw the unfriendly tiger and the cute little snake she presumed they were Cheng's guards.

"State your name!" the tiger ordered.

"Easy now, or will you get out your knife again? I hope you managed to tape it back up after our little misunderstanding." She chuckled, sending pain down her left side. She hissed out a breath.

"State. Your. Name." The angry looking tigress ordered. Visibly becoming impatient.

She chuckled again. "A short temper, finally we have something in common, I was beginning to think we were nothing alike." She snickered uncontrollably at her own little joke. Even the snake stifled a giggle.

She tiger growled and bared her teeth. "Now!"

"Calm down tiger, my name is Rukian. My vision is a bit blurry at the moment so I thought you were more of Cheng's guards. Thought you were going to cut me open again. If you find any of my vital organs please return them, I fear they fell out while I was running away." She sighed, her vision perfect again. She closed her eyes anyway.

"You're Rukian?" the friendly snake said, with obvious surprise.

"Correct my scaly friend, you are familiar with me? Didn't know I was known around south china as well. So much for a low profile." She answered. "So you know me, it seems only fair I know your names too?"

"Well, I'm viper and this is master tigress, we know you're a kung fu master. You were tortured by cheng?" the snake said tortured a bit shakily. Rukian opened her eyes. Viper said her name without master at the front, she had said tigress' with it, she decided to call them both without the formal introduction, she hated formal things.

"Good morning viper, good morning tigress. Well, yes. I didn't get this slash by falling down the stairs my friend. For some reason he was after me. He tortured me ripping out my fur, at one point he tried to cut slice my face, of course I wasn't going to have that so I bit the knife in two. I referenced it earlier. I've been on the run for around 4 days and to come face to face with what I thought were more guards. It was typical Rukian luck, apparently I was wrong." She sighed.

"Yes you did say that before you passed out. But why was he torturing you Rukian?" the snake asked while tigress glared at her. Rukian stared at nothing, her eyes becoming wide and her heart rate climbing.

"_So, are you going to tell us what we want to know kitty?" the wolf guard purred into her ear, obviously wanting the answer to be no so he could carry on slicing her, he was so close to her she could feel his warm breath on her face; hardly a pleasant smell. Rukian jerked furiously on the metal table she was strapped to but she was pumped full of sedatives and was unable to break free. She was seeing double and hearing echoes of words, everything around her spun._

"_I guess the answer would have to be _no_." she growled. The guard laughed evilly in a way that sounded a bit too dramatic, obviously it was fake and forced for effect. She sighed, not only was she getting tortured but she had to sit through terrible acting._

"_I can't tell you how pleased I am to hear that." He whispered devilishly, while he stroked her fur; the contact made her flinch. She smiled and spat in his face._

"_Bad. Kitty." He snarled. The world went dimmer around her as he twisted the knife he had plunged into her stomach. Her pained roar could be heard miles away, ferocious and outraged. She choked on her own blood, salty and hot. _Rukian vomited on the floor right next to tigress' feet.

"Rukian are you alright?" the snake demanded, shocked by the sudden convulsion. Rukian coughed and reflexively grasped her stomach which was freshly stitched, but throbbing painfully, she stroked the stitches.

"Yes I'm fine, just… remembering, and sorry about that, ill be sure to clean it up in a minute." Rukian said nodding at the mess on the floor. "They asked for the where about of the furious five. I imagine that's you. But I had no information so I said nothing. If I did, I wouldn't have said anything either, I'm not that kind of tiger." Rukian replied with a reassuring wink. "Anyways I need to go clean this up and wash the blood out of my fur; I saw a stream somewhere to the west." Rukian said climbing out of bed.

"Whoa! Where are my clothes?" Rukian shouted in surprise as she saw she was wearing close to nothing. She shielded herself with the sheet, and gave an embarrassed smile.

"They were soaked in blood so we washed them. They are drying now." Tigress said in an unfriendly manner. Still glaring at her. "And don't worry, we can clean this up." She glanced quickly at the sick on the floor then back at Rukian.

"If looks could kill" Rukian muttered. "But that's ok. Ill just take this sheet or something, ill survive, I always do." She said cheerfully, and then she waltzed out of the tent.

"Rukian I wouldn't go out there alone you could get kidnapped again, your in no shape to fight." Viper said. "I can't go with you, but tigress can." Viper glanced at the tiger master and saw her staring incredulously back at her.

Rukian laughed. "C'mon tigress I'm not as bad as I seem, and I'm sure you aren't either."

The other masters came out of their tents having heard their voices and saw the grey tiger wrapped in a bloody sheet. Rukian saw them gape worriedly. "It's the latest thing; surely you've worn it before." She smiled when she saw them burst out laughing. No need for unnecessary concern, better to be at ease.

"C'mon tigress, you may not mind it but I don't feel like being cut up again, you don't even have to talk to me." She smiled innocently.

Tigress growled under her breath but nodded, then escorted her out of camp and towards the stream about a mile west.

**remember r & r! or tigress is gona eat ya  
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	5. Chapter 5 remembering

**this chapter is where shifu finally fits the peices of the puzzle together.**

Chapter 5

"She didn't seem anything like a murderer; she was just… easy going." Po said about 10minutes after tigress and the supposed 'assassin' had left.

"That's because she isn't. I found out who she is and why she was in such bad shape, she said her name was Rukian." Viper said. "When she woke up she thought we were Cheng's soldiers and had captured her again. She was teasing tigress, she was fuming. Rukian was tortured by Cheng for information about us. She was remembering what had happened to her and she… she threw up, I cant even imagine what she went through. Apparently cheng is desperate to find us, that means we are in perhaps more danger than we first thought. But anyway she somehow got away, she didn't mention how; she'd been running for 4days she said."

The others gaped openly at viper. "She is Rukian?" Po asked amazed. _What a coincidence, _He thought.

"Then that explains it." Master Shifu said. Everyone looked to him expecting some sort of explanation. "I have been having visions ever since I read the letter. Visions of grey, purple and roars such as the one that warned us of Rukian's approach, it all adds up; grey fur, purple eyes. It also explained many other things…" he said the last few words quiet enough so that they couldn't hear him.

"Oh yeah, how can she be a grey tiger? I thought its either orange or white?" Po asked confused. Everyone nodded, by the looks of things that had been a hot topic for convocation.

"The answer to that is quite simple. She is half snow leopard and half tiger, in short, she is a half breed, cases like this are very uncommon between tigers and snow leopards; she is unique, possibly one of a kind. Because of this she is just as strong, and perhaps more skilled in kung fu than tigress." Answered Shifu.

"How?" everyone seemed to ask at the same time. Tigress was the most ferocious warrior any of them had ever known, to think that she could be bested by a student the same age was unbelievable.

"Because being of two different backgrounds she has been taught and has mastered both styles of kung fu. She is deadly; imagine it as a mix of Tai lung and tigress; combined they make a destructive killer or a skilled warrior, thankfully Rukian is on our side." Shifu answered again clearly getting annoyed with the constant questions.

The masters gawked. They had thought tigress was powerful, they couldn't imagine the outcome if Rukian lost her temper, it would be worse than when tai lung went on his rampage after being denied the dragon scroll. They shuddered at the very thought of it.

"I know." Master Shifu said when he saw their reactions, he sighed. "I'm going to meditate." He still had some questions that needed answering.

"So tigress' what's wrong? Are you naturally this hateful? Have I done something to offend you or what?" Rukian asked with polite curiosity while she paddled around in the clear, refreshing water. Tigress was leaning against a tree her face expressionless her eyes cool.

"Is it any of your business? Not all of us can be as cheerful and easy going as you master Rukian. But if you must know, I don't trust you. It annoys me how you seem so at home with all of us." _It annoys me how I feel so at home around you! _Tigress glared at her inquisitive purple eyes and she stared back, as if trying to see past her. They were roughly the same age, Rukian seemed much younger to her or maybe tigress just acted much older. Rukian frowned and started doing a back stroke.

"I admire your honesty tigress. It can take time before you can truly trust someone; however, it comes along much easier if the person or people you are trying to trust just saved your life. I don't know why I feel at home around you and your friends. Maybe it's because you are of my kind or perhaps it's because you are all fellow masters." Rukian mused in a wise and thoughtful tone then she dunked herself totally under the water and blew bubbles.

"Maybe." Tigress said. Tigress' respect and view of Rukian climbed a step higher, master Rukian, despite her scruffy and careless appearance was in fact very likable even tigress couldn't help herself, she could go from serious and understanding to immature and childish in a blink of an eye.

"You pass me that sheet? I've got the most part of the congealed blood out of my fur." she said with a smile. Tigress passed her the sheet with a small, strained smile back.

Rukian laughed. "It was a good try but you need to make it a little wider'" she grinned showing her fangs. "Like this." Tigress smiled, it was small, barely noticeable but it was real. "That'll do for me." Rukian said when she caught sight of it. Tigress quickly distinguished the smirk, kicking herself for letting her guard down. She may not like Rukian much but she felt a strong unexplainable connection with her, she wished it would disappear.

Shifu balanced perfectly on master Oogway's staff and meditated best he could. The meadow he envisioned himself in was dim and dreary, but there none the less.

"How does tigress and tai lung connect with Rukian?" he murmured to himself desperately searching his mind for an answer he just knew that was there some where buried deep in his memories, impatience was the main emotion he was feeling, it didn't help clear out his mind at all.

"Shifu, answers come to those who wait." Said a familiar voice from behind him. Shifu spun around in his clouded mind and saw his master watching him intently with a wry smile on his face.

"Master Oogway! What are you doing here? Your dead." Shifu muttered astounded. His face so shocked it was almost comical.

"You think I don't know that I am passed?" he sighed. "Shifu I came because your mind called for me. You need my help and I have come to give it to you. You seek answers about young master Rukian's connection with your adopted son and daughter." Master Oogway concluded.

"Yes master." Shifu agreed unsteadily, he didn't like to be reminded that Tai lung was once his son; the memories were too painful.

"Well then, I am surprised that you had not already come to this conclusion. Young master Rukian is the half sibling to both tigress and Tai lung. Maybe you did consider it, but did not want to believe what you already knew." the old turtle pondered. "Tigress' father and tai lung's mother. You should have remembered Shifu, the note that was given to us when you adopted tigress from Bao Gu. It said she had a sister called Rukian." The turtle watched as shifu's eyes suddenly shone with understanding, shock and remembrance.

"But master I-" Shifu glanced up to only see the empty space where the wise turtle had been standing. Sudden disappearing acts were his thing; Shifu should have seen it coming. He vaguely remembered the note that had been given to him, it had been left with tigress when the orphanage had found her on their doorstep.

_Please take care of my baby, I cannot keep her but I want her to have a good life. She has a half sister named 'Rukian'. She is half snow leopard; in fact she is the infamous Tai Lung's sibling. If possible, reunite the sisters. Everybody deserves a family, or at least what's left of one._

He had tried his best to block the painful memories of his adopted son, he knew if he had to see his sister everyday he wouldn't be able to forget what he had made him into, what he had created. He had denied tigress and Rukian a true family, the most selfish deed he had ever commited. He regretted it, the words still haunted his mind and he had to tell them the truth. _Everyone deserves a family, or at least what's left of one._

**READ AND REVIEW**_  
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**please review! i cant make the next chapters better if i don't have opinions! there's no point to doing this if nobody**_ reads or reviews _

**its like baking a cake and no 1 eating it, then it goes off and all the flies get into it and... u kno what i mean :S  
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**if u dont like the story tell me y and ill try my best to improve. if u like it, encourage meh**_. **:)**  
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